Ridgetop
Herd Master
Hope you did well on the cattle sale.
Farmerjan's journal - Weather
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farmerjan
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Posted back a couple pages... Did good, not top but they were not top quality either. Satisfied with what they did and they are gone...
Ridgetop
Herd Master
I always figure if prices are good, I lucked out, if they were not as good, at least I don't have to feed them anymore! LOL That attitude might change once I am grazing them on pasture instead of buying expensive alfalfa! I do keep an eye on sheep prices through my subscription to Livestock Weekly which is mainly Texas markets. Of course, those prices are for the previous week. I need something that will report for what the future prices will be! LOL
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farmerjan
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Have a bit of an "explanation" on @Mike CHS journal about my fast trip to TN to meet him and his wonderful wife Teresa and @Baymule because she came from TX to get a ram lamb from Mike's bloodlines. I have a bunch to catch up on here but "chores are going to take precedence " for now. It was a fast and SHORT trip... wasn't even sure it was going to happen with all that has been/will be going on here this last week or so, and into this weekend...
Headed out the door to catch up a bit...
Headed out the door to catch up a bit...
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farmerjan
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Later Thurs afternoon. Cattle and calves all caught at the neighbors and a trailer load taken to doug's barn for loading and shipping tomorrow. I think there are 19 calves and one cow that they "think" has only had 1 calf in the last 4 years???? Spare me the "weekend" type farmers that just do not pay attention to the financials... but then complain that it costs so much to have the hay made, and that they have to buy more hay because they do not have enough... 
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farmerjan
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OOPs, it went and posted when I just ran the cursor down the page...
Anyway, there are 3 calves that I would not have pulled yet, and 2 more he did not manage to get in... so he will have 2 bigger steers that will get a little wilder this year... and alot bigger... and we are not chasing them... and now he told DS to keep his eyes open that he could use 2 or 3 more young cows or bred heifers... when he cannot take care of these very well and pays us to do all the work...
.
DS and I were thinking that he was going to quit it this year, his wife does not get out and do anything much at all, and he is getting even slower out there.. and we do all the tagging, and banding and everything for them in the spring... and again make all their hay, and then catch up and haul his calves to town in the fall..
There are some nice heifers in there, but this is the bull we had the foot trimmed on for him, back several months ago, vet said it was probably hereditary, and the one toe is curling up a little again... don't want any with potential foot problems down the road... and they are just too wild/skittish....soooo.. that is a no brainer... and the prices are too high now anyway.
DS will haul them to town in the morning to the sale...
So, I have been doing a few small things here today. It started out sunny, but breezy. It has clouded up and there is rain expected... not alot they say, but who really knows. It is chilly out there now. I also got a ride down and got my forester that was at deb's arena from when I got the tractor that time, and brought it home.
I am going to get the sinkful of clean dishes put away, and maybe do some cooking since it is chilly out and it would help to warm the house up. Need to get laundry sorted so I can do some after the apple butter festival, to hang maybe Sun ... need to look at the forecast but think it is going to only be wet and chilly Friday and into Sat and then clear off again. It sure has gotten chilly today.
I will let @Baymule tell all about her trip from TX to @Mike CHS place in TN... I sure didn't mean to steal her surprise when I posted in his journal. But I do want to say it was such a nice... if short.... visit for me. Mike and his wife are as nice as they can be... and their place sits down in a little hollow that is fairly secluded but still close to the main roads. I still cannot believe that they have had a hard frost already and I have not, even though I am further north... and our elevations are close... His sheep are very very nice, and they are definitely well taken care of and loved.
It was nice to meet Mel in person after all the years of his "journey through life... first with Joe (Latestarter)
, then his time with Barb and finally finding his final job at Mike and Teresa's with their sheep. He is a BIG BOY... and as big a baby as you can imagine. Their other dog Maisey, sniffed me from a distance and I understood she did not take to me and that was fine... HOWEVER, his 2 herding dogs, Sassy the australian shepherd and Lance, his border collie thought they couldn't get enough petting and such in the house. They are incredibly well trained and just so much "devilment" with Mike... they are soooo IN TUNE to him it is absolutely amazing...
Driving weather was good, and that made it easier... Long Trip. Over 1160 miles round trip but it was so worth it for me to just get away for a little bit. The hospitality was just the best...
Got home and a good night's sleep and got right back into things here.
Tomorrow I will go to the mill in the afternoon to learn their cash register and system, and then dive right in on Saturday with the Apple Butter Festival... and probably fall flat on my face Sat night !!!!
Time to eat something, chickens are in and I am wanting something hot... some sort of vegetable I think... like a good bowl of green beans...
Anyway, there are 3 calves that I would not have pulled yet, and 2 more he did not manage to get in... so he will have 2 bigger steers that will get a little wilder this year... and alot bigger... and we are not chasing them... and now he told DS to keep his eyes open that he could use 2 or 3 more young cows or bred heifers... when he cannot take care of these very well and pays us to do all the work...
.DS and I were thinking that he was going to quit it this year, his wife does not get out and do anything much at all, and he is getting even slower out there.. and we do all the tagging, and banding and everything for them in the spring... and again make all their hay, and then catch up and haul his calves to town in the fall..
There are some nice heifers in there, but this is the bull we had the foot trimmed on for him, back several months ago, vet said it was probably hereditary, and the one toe is curling up a little again... don't want any with potential foot problems down the road... and they are just too wild/skittish....soooo.. that is a no brainer... and the prices are too high now anyway.
DS will haul them to town in the morning to the sale...
So, I have been doing a few small things here today. It started out sunny, but breezy. It has clouded up and there is rain expected... not alot they say, but who really knows. It is chilly out there now. I also got a ride down and got my forester that was at deb's arena from when I got the tractor that time, and brought it home.
I am going to get the sinkful of clean dishes put away, and maybe do some cooking since it is chilly out and it would help to warm the house up. Need to get laundry sorted so I can do some after the apple butter festival, to hang maybe Sun ... need to look at the forecast but think it is going to only be wet and chilly Friday and into Sat and then clear off again. It sure has gotten chilly today.
I will let @Baymule tell all about her trip from TX to @Mike CHS place in TN... I sure didn't mean to steal her surprise when I posted in his journal. But I do want to say it was such a nice... if short.... visit for me. Mike and his wife are as nice as they can be... and their place sits down in a little hollow that is fairly secluded but still close to the main roads. I still cannot believe that they have had a hard frost already and I have not, even though I am further north... and our elevations are close... His sheep are very very nice, and they are definitely well taken care of and loved.
It was nice to meet Mel in person after all the years of his "journey through life... first with Joe (Latestarter)
Driving weather was good, and that made it easier... Long Trip. Over 1160 miles round trip but it was so worth it for me to just get away for a little bit. The hospitality was just the best...
Got home and a good night's sleep and got right back into things here.
Tomorrow I will go to the mill in the afternoon to learn their cash register and system, and then dive right in on Saturday with the Apple Butter Festival... and probably fall flat on my face Sat night !!!!
Time to eat something, chickens are in and I am wanting something hot... some sort of vegetable I think... like a good bowl of green beans...
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farmerjan
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Friday... just ate a sandwich for lunch and going to go to the mill in just a little bit to get my "orientation" for the cash register and an overall learning of the things there for tomorrow's Apple Butter Festival.
It is raining... sorta... misty and sprinkles... little bit of a shower then slows down.. enough to get a little wet out there but doubt there is .2 total. We are supposed to get a little more off and on...
The quick trip to meet @Baymule and @Mike CHS and his wife went by too fast. But, @Baymule is just as "real and up front" in person as she seems on her threads... I can just picture her up on that roof in the heat... and she didn't mention it but Mike's dog Maisey does not like strangers, but she lets Bay pet her and comes up to her in the pasture... pretty good judge of trusting a human she is not familiar with.. Granted she has been there before, but still...
She got a real nice young ram lamb and hope he continues her path to better and nicer Katahdins... Mike's sheep are really really nice animals. I can only imagine how his rams have added to the ewes she started with. And she says that @Ridgetop 's young ewes she got are more meaty than the Katahdin's ... if they are more meaty than Mike's sheep they must be real meat wagons. That young ram lamb ought to really help add more "butt" to the sheep and length of body. But her ewe's look nice in the pictures so the improvements are going to be more subtle than I think she realizes. When you start with nice, and keep breeding from there, it is harder to see the continued improvements... I think that if her sheep are half as nice as they look in the pictures, she has also got some real nice ones.
Got another possum last night here at the house... where do all these varmints come from?
Got 2 farms to get set up for next week... and wish some of them would at least answer me back...
They did get the field across the road "ripped" (chisel plowed ) while I was gone... DS said he got wheat planted there at the farm... guess getting the orchard grass planted across from me the next project.
Need to head down the hill in a few minutes so going to get going.
It is raining... sorta... misty and sprinkles... little bit of a shower then slows down.. enough to get a little wet out there but doubt there is .2 total. We are supposed to get a little more off and on...
The quick trip to meet @Baymule and @Mike CHS and his wife went by too fast. But, @Baymule is just as "real and up front" in person as she seems on her threads... I can just picture her up on that roof in the heat... and she didn't mention it but Mike's dog Maisey does not like strangers, but she lets Bay pet her and comes up to her in the pasture... pretty good judge of trusting a human she is not familiar with.. Granted she has been there before, but still...
She got a real nice young ram lamb and hope he continues her path to better and nicer Katahdins... Mike's sheep are really really nice animals. I can only imagine how his rams have added to the ewes she started with. And she says that @Ridgetop 's young ewes she got are more meaty than the Katahdin's ... if they are more meaty than Mike's sheep they must be real meat wagons. That young ram lamb ought to really help add more "butt" to the sheep and length of body. But her ewe's look nice in the pictures so the improvements are going to be more subtle than I think she realizes. When you start with nice, and keep breeding from there, it is harder to see the continued improvements... I think that if her sheep are half as nice as they look in the pictures, she has also got some real nice ones.
Got another possum last night here at the house... where do all these varmints come from?
Got 2 farms to get set up for next week... and wish some of them would at least answer me back...
They did get the field across the road "ripped" (chisel plowed ) while I was gone... DS said he got wheat planted there at the farm... guess getting the orchard grass planted across from me the next project.
Need to head down the hill in a few minutes so going to get going.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Glad you had a chance to get away for a quick trip. Sometimes just getting away from the home place is relaxing spite of the distance driving.
SageHill
Herd Master
The best kind of trip. 
Baymule
Herd Master
Thanks for the compliments!
@Mike CHS choice of rams have done a lot to improve my flock. My momma didn’t raise no dummy! He gives them animal crackers and that is instant friendship! I go get them and I don’t have murderous rams trying to send me to an early grave! All I need is animal crackers.
@Mike CHS choice of rams have done a lot to improve my flock. My momma didn’t raise no dummy! He gives them animal crackers and that is instant friendship! I go get them and I don’t have murderous rams trying to send me to an early grave! All I need is animal crackers.
